Garage-door-opening means



Feb. 15, 1927. w. w. DE LONG 1,617,796

GARAGE DOOR OPENING MEANS Filed April, 192 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 W ZZZ-$6107 Attorney 1927 1 617 796 Feb w. w. DE LONG GARAGE DOOR OPENING MEANS Filed April 13, 1926 ZSheets-Sheet 2- Attorney Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES WALLACE W. DE LONG, 01'! APPLETOK, WISCONSIN.

omennoon-ornmne MEANS.

Application filed a ruia, sae. Serial No. 101,732.

M' present invention has to do with the mam ulation of the doors of garages and the like; and it contemplates the provision. of efficient means operable by an automobile approaching the dooropening of the garage, for bringing about the opening of thedoors and securing the doors 1n 0 en position so that an automobile-maybe riven into the garage.

The invention also contemplates the provision of means whereby when thedoors are secured in open position the automobile driver may step out of the automobile within the garage, and may then conveniently release the door control -means and then brin about closing of the doors by stress applied directly to one door, and when the doors are in closed position they will be automatica'lly secured in said osition in readiness for another operation y an automobile approaching the door opening of the. garage from without the garage.

Other. objects and practical advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming pairs) of this specificatmn, in which -1 withm a garage and showing my improvement as properly arranged relative to horizontal swingable doors for controlling the door opening of the garage.

Figure 2 isa horizontal section of the same, with parts in plan and also showing by dotted line the positions assumed by the parts of the'improveme'nt when the'doors are swung outwardly into open positions.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary or detailperspective showing thelatch of m improvement and the appurtenances of said latch.

Figure 4 is a front elevation or a view taken from a view point outside of the garage and showing the doors as closed.

' Figure 5 is a detail perspective illustrating the horizontally swingable bell crank member of my improvement and also showin a portion of the retractile spring for bringing about opening of the doors.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in allof the views of the drawings.

The garage wall 1 is provided with a door opening 2, designed to be controlled by doors 3 and 4 hintgedly connected at 5 to the wall 1 and there ore adapted to be swung re 1 is a View taken from a viewpoint horizontally to and from the full line posit1on shown in Figure 2.

' In accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention an upright 6 is positloned at a suitable distance in front of the garage wallliiand said upright 6, in'turn, is

provided wit lower and upper guides 7 and 8. 'It will also be" understood that the upright 6 is located, at one side of'the path leading to, the door opening 2, but that it is essential to arrange a tread member 9 in said path, said member 9 being pivotally mounted at 10 and being superimposed upon a spring 11, and being connected to a cable '12 that 1s passed through the guides 7 and 8 and is also passed through an aperture 12 in the wall 1 at a point above the door opening 2. After being passed through the aperture 12, the cable 12 is carried over an appropriate guide 13 at the inner side of the wall 1 and is connected to a latch 14, fulcrumed at 15 on a fixed bracket 16 and having an0tch'17 and also having an upstanding arm 18 to which is connected 2. retractile spring 19 which tends to throw the ma jor portion of the latch 14 downwardly and to yieldingly hold said major ortion of the latch 14 against casual upwar movement.

Fixed with respect to the garage wall 1 at a point above the door opening 2 and extending. laterally inward from said well 1 is a horizontal bracket 20 to which is pivoted at 21 a bell crank having arms 22 and 23 fixed with respect to each other and also having a third arm 24 which extends from the point of juncture of the arms 22 and 23 and is fixed with respect to the same. Whenthe doors 3 and 4 are closed the bell crank described is designed to, rest in the full line position shown in Figure 2, the arm 24 at.

that time being seated in the notch 17 of the latch 14, and from this it follows that as a condition precedent to. the openi of the doors 4, the latch 14 must be lifte out of engagement with the arm 24. This operation is brought out by the passage of an automobile over the depressible member 9, depression of the member 9 being. attended by pull on the cable 12*,and the raising of the latch 14 for the purpose indicated. Interposed between and connected to the gara wall 1 and the arm 23 of the horizonta y swingable bell crank isa retractile spring 26, this spring 26 being, when the'doors 4 are in closed positionsin stretched or tensioned state, Figure 2. Notwithstanding the horizontally into the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 with the result that the doors 4'will be swung or thrust to the dotted line positions in said figure through the medium of the link bars 27 and 28 interposed between and pivotally connected to the arm of the bell crank and the doors 4.

In the ractical operation of my improvement as t ius far described, it will be manifest that when an automobile passes over the depressible member 9, the doors 4 will be moved to the dotted line positions shown in Figure 2; and it will alsobe understood that the said doors will be retained in open positions by virtue of the latch 14 seating over and engaging the arm 22 of the bell crank which-arm 22 will be, at that time, in position to enter the notch 17 of the latch '14. After an automobile has passed through the door opening 2 and into the garage, and it is desired to close the doors 3 and4, it is simply necessary for a person in authority to pull on the auxiliary cable 40 passed through suitable guides on the garage wall 1 and one of the doors, specifically the door 3, whereupon the latch 14 connected with said auxiliary cable 40 will be lifted out of engagement with the bell crank arm 22, whereupon stress applied directly to either one of the doors, preferably the door 3, will bringabout the restoration of the working parts of the door control means to the full ine positions shown in Figure 2 and the closure of the two doors 3 and 4, and then when the arm 24 assumes a position in coincidence with the notch 17 in the latch 14, the said latch 14 will sprin into engagement said arm 24 and thereby atch the doors in closed position and -in readiness for another opening of the doors by an automobile approaching the door opening of the garage from without the garage.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that notwithstanding the facility with which, an automobile, by reason of my improvement, may enter a garage, my improvement is simple and inexpensive in construction, is susceptible of ready installation, and

in general is well adapted to withstand the d usage to which garage door appurtenances are ordinarily subjected.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart an exact understanding of the said embodiment in all of its details. I do not desire, however, to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction and relative arrangement of parts as disclosed, my invention being defined by my appended claims within the scope of which modlfications may be made without departure from my invention.

Havingdescribed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, 1s:-

1. In combination, horizontally swingable doors, horizontally swingable means for opening said doors, saidswingable means being in the form of a bell crank having arms in connection with the doors and also having ar'latch arm, spring means connected with said bell crank and arranged to be tensiBned'when the doors are closed, and a latch arranged upon closing of the doors to engage the said arm of the bell crank and detachably secure the doors in closed positions.

2. In combination, horizontally swingable garage doors, horizontally swingable means connected with and adapted to thrust said doors into open positions, spring means for swinging said horizontally swingable means for said pur ose, said means being under tension when t' e doors are closed, a latch for holding said swingable means against movement under the action of said spring means, and automobile operable means connected with said latch and adapted'when actuated to disengage the latch from said swingable means; the said swingable means being in the form of a bell crank having its arms in connection with the doors and also having a latch arm, and said spring means being in the form of a retractile spring arranged to be tensioned when the doors are closed, said spring connected to one of the arms of the bell crank, and the said latch being vertically swingable and spring-pressed and being provided with a notch to receive said latch arm of the bell crank.

3. In combination, horizontally swingable doors, horizontally swingable means for openin said doors, said swingable means being in the form of a bellcrank havi arms in connection with the doors and also aving a latch arm, spring means connected with said bell crank and arran d'to be tensioned when the doors are close a latch arranged upon closin of the doors to engage the said arm of the bell crank and. detachably secure the doors in closed positions, and said latch being also arranged u on opening of the oors to enga e one of t e other arms of the bell crank an detachably secure the doors in open positions.

4. In combination, horizontally swingable garage doors, a garage wall to which said oors are connected, said wall having an opening disposed above the door opening, a bracket fixed to the garage wall above the door opening, a bell crank pivoted to said bracket and having arms at angles to each ion ed to seat the latch arm of t e bell crank, a

depressible member arranged exterior of the garage and spaced from the door opening, guided cable passed through said aperture 1n the garage wall above the door open' thereof andconnected at one end with sa1d de ressible member and at its other end to said latch, whereby depression of the depressible member will be attended by disengagement of the latch from the latch arm of the bell crank, and the opening of the doors; said latch being also adapt; ed to engage one of the arms of the bell crank to detachably retain the doors in open positions, and said latchbeing connected with an auxiliary cable tguided on one of the doors and adapted for e disengagement of the latch firom the bell crank as a condition precedent to manual closing of the doors.

5. In combination, a garage wall having a door opening and a minute opening spaced from t e door opening, outwardly swinging doors hinged to said wall, a bracket fixed to the inner side of the garage wall and disposed above the door opening, movable means mounted on said bracket and connected with the doors, spring means for moving said movable means to open the doors, a latch for cooperating with said movable means to secure the doors in closed position, and automobile operable means for disengaging said latch from said movable means, said automobile operable means including a cable passepd throngh said minute opening and connected to said latch; the said latch being also adapted to engage the movable means for the retention of the doors in open position, and an auxiliary cable guided on one of the doors and being connected with the latch for the opening of the latch by a person positioned within the arage.

In testimony whereof atlix my signaa ture.

WALLACE W. DE LONG. 

